


We Make the Perfect Kind of Misery

by baku_hoe



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, OC's will find love too, Open to suggestions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Slow Build, Slow Burn, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-05 16:14:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14048034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baku_hoe/pseuds/baku_hoe
Summary: Slow burn Reader/Jack/Gabe; will be NSFW as we go along. There are hints at other relationships and character growth and development as it progresses. I'm terrible at summaries, so please read and enjoy ♥





	1. Chapter 1

War; it is a poetic work of bloodstained art really. It took more than lost was willing to give in order to go out there and lay your own life on the line. Even more to be willing to do that and take lives in the same breaths. However you never really pegged yourself for much of a poet; granted you still wound up here.    
  
Blood was sticking to the inside of some of your gear, letting your clothes stick to you in a highly uncomfortable manor. Not to mention that stomach turning stench of warm iron hitting your senses.    
  
"Prodigy, come in. Can you hear me?" The voice buzzed in your ear.    
  
"Prodigy here. What is it Commander Tsunami? Is my target approaching?" You responded with a sharp bite to your tone. Had you been on any other squad you never would have gotten away with talking to your direct supervisor like this. Mind you growing up and joining Overwatch before his promotion did have some say in that matter.    
  
"Actually he is, and he won't be putting up too much resistance. He may have looked a little bit on the sick side; so I gave him some medicine," a second, much more feminine, voice chimed in. Her voice was so bittersweet, it brought a wicked smile to your own face.    
  
"Roger that Antediluvian. Cover me, the Strike Commander shouldn't be far behind. I'll have this wrapped up soon, just stop that payload" you paged back. Sure, if this was another team you would have been benched or fired by now. But this was your squad. He may be the leader but the three of you were a system together and you all had some say here. Hearing both of their quick affirmatives you pulled back your firearm and reloaded it with an eerie amount of grace.    
  
There was only once chance to get this right and hel,l if Strike Commander wanted to be a stick in the mud, you were damn sure you guys were going to be the team that he noticed for your efforts.    
  
You had been lying low in unused buildings, hidden from sight of the heated part of the battle, but with your scope you had been more than helpful. You were not the best Sniper, but a warning shot that missed was just as good when it ran them straight into the much more skilled fighters. You already knew his targeted path and you threw your duffle bag towards one of the lackies that had been sent to back you up. They would cover you from here on out, that and carry your things when the ship arrived. It was a nice gig.    
  
You were not exactly happy when a few of the agents got behind you, but that was their mistake. You were much deadlier when in close and their ambush was called short quick. Stepped through your earlier mess you quickly got out onto one of the balconies and took a swift jump into the ally. Dark, dirty and all around unpleasant, you were looking forward to making this side quest as short as humanely possibly; which should be easy considering the man in question had breathed in some of dear Cora's 'medicine'. Poor bastard.    
Once you had been on the receiving end of one of her tests and you were very thankful she had a remedy done and you were cured within the hour. Her stuff was potent and she was merciless when it came down to using it. Ever since Mercy had given her a safe place to experiment with her toxins - away from any more innocent passersby.    
  
You wore as little as possible when I came down to missions. You did not like having your range of motion limits by bulky armour. Straightening yourself up you shifted to the shadows. Your black suit completely concealed you against the drab building. Silently you lectured yourself for not bringing your knives with you, however a gun would do. The man in question would be far too sick to be able to actually do anything against you.    
  
It was dark and damp, the heavy muddy feeling of the air around you was unsettling. Mostly because it was making you very uncomfortable. Soon this would be over, you would hopefully get some praise, and you could go home and take a nice long bath to scrub all of this filth off.    
  
Pulling the safety off you took a quiet breath. This was the worst part. Waiting. The waiting game was always the hardest part. Listening to the radio silence you knew he was still on the right path, running right into your trap. However you wish it would just happen already. In the distance you could hear the shouts and gunfire, knowing that your team was closing in on the payload, outnumbering the Talon agents by a fair number. However the sound that really pulled your attention was the sluggish stomping steps and raggedy coughs that were fast approaching. A cheshire smile grew across your face, finally it was show time. 

From your hiding spot you could see the silhouette of a man stop at the mouth of the ally, his head frantically looking around for danger as another vicious cough racked his body. The sight was just a little bit disappointing. She had done her job a little too well, and this was draining the fun out of your own job.    


Stumbling down the alley like blubbering drunk, you felt no pity for him as he fell to the ground. You let out a frustrated sigh and stepped out, knowing there was no threat here. Even if he could stand, he couldn’t aim straight, not with the way that the violent coughs were consuming his body. 

“Luca Ricci - such a shame to see such a powerful man down on his knees.” you started, voice low and threatening. Your gun was pointed at him as you approached, watching as his eyes finally found the source of the haunting voice. His eyes widened and it was utterly embarrassing to watch as he tried to shuffle away from you, a feeble attempt at getting away. Now pity reached your features, it must be a shame to be such a lowlife that you could get away murdering so many lives, but become such a mess when your own life was threatened. 

“You’ll be coming with me, Overwatch has some questions for you. If you don’t cooperate with me now, I assure you will not be seeing the antidote anytime soon. And believe me when I say, you will want it. This poison is already starting to work its way through your system, and believe me when I say this is the fun part. It gets really messy from there on out.” you gave him a wicked smile. Moving closer you pulled him up from the ground, his body practically deadweight already. 

“You’re insane if you think Overwatch will get anything from me.” he snapped, his bark surprisingly sharp for someone in his condition. You were impressed that even now he was going to give some kind of a fight. Such a pity his own body wouldn’t be able to keep up with that spirit he had there. But you were positive that spirit would be broken soon enough. Pulling two thin bands you twisted his arms uncomfortably behind his back and attach them. Some tech that the Commander helped Toby build, very small cuffs that were strong and unbreakable by the average person. They practically molded its captor into that position until released, so if his arms started to cramped - that would just be a shame for him. 

Ricci continued to throw out digs and insults in your direction, slurs and other various colourful words that you were tuning out. Pressing a finger to the device in your ear you gave a small sigh, “Prodigy here; Target captured, we will be escorted to the point in a matter of moments”

Looking up at the man you could feel disgust reach your stomach. He just wouldn’t shut up, would he? With quick movements you landed a heavy punch to the bridge of his nose, the smart remarks cutting short within seconds. Letting his body fall to the ground you shook out your hand. This was going to bruise a bit through the glove, and you were going to hear about needing real armour. Ah well - just another mission completed. 

  
  
  
  


Since, your small unit had come to collect you and the man in question, escorting you both to the ship landing. There Stood three figures that really stood out. 

The first was a tall man, his skin was a dark and creamy caramel colour. His hair was short, buzzed and styled - not that you could exactly tell under the black hat he wore. Aside from his defined features, everyone noticed his stormy blue eyes right away. He hailed from England, born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father. He was the oldest of four, having one of the best track records in his schooling he was an early graduate and after wars started spreading he signed up for the military, soon getting recruited by Overwatch itself. This was Commander Tsunami, or for those who personally knew him; Declan Okafor.

Standing next to Declan was a much smaller woman. Unlike his defined features, her small face was rounded and resembled that of a dolls. Her ravenous black hair was completed sealed in an airtight bun under her own mask. Her eyes were steel grey, unnerving to people who did not know her. They were cold and calculating, though that never really suited her personality. She hailed from Thailand, born and raised there she studied various chemicals and their reactions. Having been pushed to being a doctor she was found by accident when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Panicking she blasted a patrol of Overwatch soldiers before they brought her in for questioning. She was Cora Puntasrima, best known as the Poison specialist, Antediluvian.

The third person was Strike Commander Morrison himself. While the three of you wore black suits that looked like dyed knock offs of the high ranking officers, his was a strong vibrant blue. It was a blue that matched his piercing gaze and unphantomly golden locks. You swore he came straight out of a cheesy promotional video. Despite the war in the world and the dank vibes that were lingering in the air, he looked picture perfect; untouched by any of it. 

As you stepped from the car, you dragged the deadweight along with you. The Clear miscift in the bunch. You hailed from The states, with a very simple background. Nothing really happened, no fancy grades, no out of this world tricks. No you were just a martial artist that was noticed by the right people and wound up here. However the funniest part, was the four of you had all been in the same training program back in the day. The only difference was that Jack had shown the most promise, and he was transferred over to the SEP program, now he held rank above all of you. Maybe that was what pissed you off the most. He was like you all laughs and jokes outside of training; now he refused to even acknowledge that you guys had those moments, he was all business and work now.

Shoving the man forward you came to approach the rest of them. They were all in their full gear, coats, thick armor and complete coverage. Then there was you; The black suit, a chest guard, and some gloves. You stood out the most against the other members, but that never bothered you very much. What mattered to you was being able to move and get the job done. If you were getting hit, you weren’t doing your job right. 

“Commander Morrison, I present you Luca Ricci; a renegade weapons dealer who has been dealing with Talon as his past few transactions. He is wanted in nine countries and wanted by several other organizations as well. He has been exposed to Cora’s venom for nearly an hour, he has about one more before his organs start to shut down. He doesn’t appear to have taken any physical wounds aside from a few scraps and a broken nose.” you reported, your eyes meeting his cold stare. Beside you, you could feel Ricci tensing up at the report, realizing now he wasn’t dealing with just you, but also the Strike Commander directly. 

However as the report was given the silence continued on between all of you. You could feel your jaw tense up as he continued to study you before he turned his gaze towards Declan before speaking,

“You have proven to have lead yet another successful mission Commander Declan. We will be taking Ricci from here. Keep up the good work, we will be sure that you are respectfully given your dues.” he said in a very level and leader like voice. You wanted so badly to mock him and his professional attitude, but you knew better. Nothing good could possibly come from mocking the strike commander. You released the pathetic man, your eyes glaring daggers into the side of Jack’s face as his men came and took the hostage away. He let his eyes meet yours for a moment before he turned and walked back to the ship he had arrived on. The three of you all stayed at attention until his ship took off. 

The tension in the air lifted as he left and the two of them shared a glance before they looked at you. You hand was balled up in a fist, 

“Morrison, I don’t get why he feels the need to act like such a prick. He himself let us set up this team our way because he knew we could handle it. He knows we are all held to equal standards here, and yet he refuses to speak to us all that way.” you snapped, low enough that the other soldiers were unable to hear. Declan sighed, rubbing his temples he shook his head,

“[Y/n], you know he has to be like this. Especially in front of other soldiers. We aren’t Commanding officers like him. He’s a SEP soldier and in charge, we just lead missions and get the dirty work done. We get the grunts. Not to mention we don’t know what happened in the SEP program.” he pointed out. Trying to be the voice of reason was always something he did, and something that often got him chewed out. However he always did have a point, no matter how much you may hate to admit it.

“Yeah but she had a point. Even if he can’t be our best friend and frolic with us in the flowers, doesn’t mean he has to act like he had a stick shoved so far up his ass he can’t stand it.” Cora snapped beside him. She was shorter than average, but her spirit was considerably larger. She had a flare to her that would never go out.

“You both need to understand things are different. At this point its best to forget Jack, and just think of him as Commander Morrison - it will make it a little easier. Okay? Now come on, I have a report to write up and you both could use some rest, you guys both did great out there.” he stated. His tone was a clear indication he was ready to use his power as the titled leader and finish this conversation. Glancing over at Cora you both looked defeated but nodded in agreement. Hell; neither of you were overly pleased with how things had turned out after you all graduated, however the tempting idea of going home and relaxing after that mission - now that was something you could all agree would be nice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first Overwatch fic and I hope that it is alright. 
> 
> Feedback is very helpful with finding my muse to write each chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

That mission had been a piece of cake really. Everything went according to plan. Weed out Ricci, lure him into position, and then push him into the final trap. There had been no casualties on this mission, the worst was one man was down for severe bleeding from a shot that found a flaw in his armor. Aside from that just a few cuts and bruises. The Talon Agents had gone down easily once Cora had gotten one of her bombs in there.  
  
It was always nice to know everything went well; however Jack had seriously put a damper on your gleeful mood. He used to be so down to earth, full of that award winning smile and terrible jokes that never seemed to end. Now he was strict, cold, and set in his ways. Power sure did a lot to someone.  
  
“..so then when he thought I was done arguing, he made a ‘closing remark’ and I decked him in the face. The sap had a broken nose and absolutely no sympathy from Angela. She actually praised my shot when I came in next,” A cheery voice chimed. Cora was sat on the bathroom floor against the wall, her long, wet hair being neatly pulled into two long french braids. Turning to face her you beamed at her. Cora wasn’t really one to get down and dirty, she would rather throw out her venom and bombs and keep safe, healing up her allies when they needed it. You had been working with her one some close combat so she could defend herself if needed, and it turned out she had actually been paying attention to your lessons,  
  
“I sure hope Angela made him suffer with the healing process?” you thought aloud. Right now you were comfortably relaxing in your stuffy bathtub. It was small, but it was your own. The vanilla scent filled the room from the bubble bath you had chosen. Cora had taken a shower in your room while you both waited for the guys, and you had been dreaming of this bubble bath since before the mission started. So you were making damn sure to enjoy it.  
  
“You bet she did! Didn’t give him anything, just popped his nose back into place and told him to pick his fights better.” she beamed wickedly. That made you snicker, and in return she laughed. “He hasn’t bothered me since, but I promise I’ll tell you if he does.”  
  
“You better, I promise I will give him more than just a broken nose.” you warned her. Sure Cora could handle herself, but she was like a sister to you - there was no way you were going to let anyone walk all over her. She was the youngest out of your group, and you felt the need to protect her no matter what.  
  
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. However, I do know if that happened we’d need Declan to come and tear you off the guy.” she snickered. She looked innocent, but she was by no means that. She wasn’t shy about throwing people under the bus and setting them up for failure. You really did pity the unlucky bastards that got on her bad side. She had the means to make your life a living hell, and by God she was willing to do it.  
  
“If you think I would let anyone get away without a scratch if they touched you, you would be wrong. The only people allowed to mess with you is me and Declan, no one else.” you stated with a small nod of your head. This had her rolling her eyes in response, a typical, “I know you’re right, but I’m not going to say it,” look. Her pale lips parted as she went to say something before a soft rapping at your door cause her mouth to shut. Her eyes lit up and she got up, making sure she was decent,  
  
“Hurry up and get dried off, sounds like they are here with the drinks!” She cheered in a singsong voice.  
  
You didn’t have a chance to respond to that even if you wanted to. She practically ran to the door, making sure to close the bathroom door a bit in her wake. Taking your own turn to roll your eyes, you made quick work on scrubbing your hair and doing a quick rub down for any dirt you missed before.  
  
In the other room you could hear the soft chatter as Cora opened the door. Rinsing off you grabbed the towel she had pulled out for you earlier and quickly dried off, slipping into a pair of black sweat pants and a tank top. Running the brush through your hair you threw it up into a wet messy bun before you pulled the drain  
  
Finding you hoodie you pulled it over you head before you shuffled in to see them all lounging on the couch. Declan was dressed down in his black sweats and a shirt that graciously fit him. Honestly you wondered how the man was still single, then again he was always so busy and so was the one he was hopelessly in love with. Next to him was McCree, wearing a simple white shirt, jeans, and naturally that damn hat.  
  
You had been looking forward to this night, but you wished they had waited a little longer to arrive, already missing the warm soapy bath you had been relaxing in just moments ago. Smiling as they all muttered out a response in greeting, you sat down next to Jesse, pulling your feet up on the couch next to you.  
  
“Hey doll, you smell amazing,” he greeted with that southern drawl. Rolling your eyes you leaned into his side as Declan started pouring the drinks while Cora rummaged through your nail polish to find a shade she liked.  
  
“I would like to thank Cora for adding some fragrances to that terribly basic soap we are provided.” you grinned, meeting her wicked smile. Declan only chuckled at that as he handed out the glasses with a playful look,  
  
“You know full well that should be reported, but it's very subtle, so it’s not that big of a deal.” he teased. Accepting the glass you cuddled up with Jesse, taking a small sip of the liquor. Yeah Declan let a few things slip here and there, but you were almost 100% sure that Jack already knew these things as well. Besides it wasn’t like you were selling it or trying to make a big deal of these things, you were all very well behaved and kept it within your little circle.  
  
“Yeah, well,” you didn’t finish that sentence as you chose to finish it instead with a small raspberry in the older mans direction. This caused a chorus of giggles to escape around you, reminding you why you loved these moments so much. It was always relaxing and fun. None of you had to wear that professional mask and worry about keeping up appearances, you could all let loose and just be yourselves.  
  
“So Mr. Jesse, what’s new with Blackwatch, Angela refused to tell me much about her last trip over there.” Cora spoke up, her steely eyes landing on the cowboy. As she waited for him to reply she chose a navy blue colour and was adjusting herself on the floor to paint her toenails.  
  
“Dear Miss Cora, you know full well if Angela wouldn’t tell you, that I probably shouldn’t be telling you.” he pointed out with an amused smile. Taking a sip of his drink he enjoyed her pointed stare as he shifted his gaze, silently seeing if Declan was okay with this information being shared or not. Smirking across from the other, Declan was relaxing into your chair and he shrugged,  
  
“What Angela doesn’t know couldn’t hurt her this time; So long as this information stays between the four of us.” And that was all of the permission the young Cowboy needed as his eyes shone. From his side you watched him as he readjusted, getting ready to spill all the beans,  
  
“Well there was a few things happening around base lately. We were all surprised to see Angela there, but she was there strictly for business. Her and Gabriel were keeping everything pretty hush hush, but they had found a man half dead. He was kept away from everyone else and taken to a restricted part of the base. Sadly no one had clearance to go down there, but I managed to get Gabe to slip up a bit about what was going on. I don’t know much but apparently she was there to save his life and rebuild his body. Sounded like he had been mangled up pretty bad and left for dead, obviously.  
  
She was there busy for a week straight, no one saw or hear from here until a new face arrived. Her, I know more about. She is a little bit sketchy, even for Blackwatch - but hey, the Commander has some faith in her abilities so who am I to talk? Anyways, this new chick, Moira O'Deorain, was introduced and was working on a lot of new technology for us and studying this man. Even she isn’t allowed near him, but she’s been given permission to study his process, and she seemed a little to interested in all of it - gives me the creeps if I’m being honest. But yeah. We got a dead guy brought back to life, and a scientist with us now. Angela is still around often to talk to both of them, but that’s all I know.”  
  
You could see that Cora’s eyes were lit up with sheer excitement. However there was the eternal conflict in her eyes knowing she couldn’t even bug and nag Angela about any of this, at least not until she was properly put in the loop.  
  
“Moira, isn’t she one of the leading scientist right now?” you inquired, blinking up at the scruffy man in curiosity. While he nodded, he wasn’t the one to reply,  
  
“Overwatch saw promise in her work but because of her reputation, Blackwatch took her instead in order to give her the funding to help her continue with her research. She is Blackwatch’s new medical aid, it’s a pretty good trade honestly. Her work has also started to improve their missions, but I still think we are better off with little Antediluvian, here” Your eyes shifted to Declan as he spoke before glancing over at Cora. As she was finishing her first foot you could see the pink tinting the tops of her cheeks at Declan’s praise,  
  
“Even if that is true, Angela is our real saving grace. I would love to meet Moira thought, imagine racking her brain. Ugh I wish Angela would say something so that I could get in on all of this action too! This is amazing stuff, imagine what I could learn from working with Moira, or meeting this mystery dead man..” she trailed off, clearly thinking about all of the possibilities herself.  
  
For a moment you envied her. She had such a wide and vast knowledge already, and having gotten in with this job she had so many more doors opened up to her. You knew that if she was given the right resources and chances, she would go so far with her work. You were so lucky to have her on your team, to have such a bright character here to share her brilliant mind with you.  
  
“Give it time, Cora. You know she'll tell you as soon as she knows the situation it handled. She likes to make sure everything is good before making it public,” you pointed out. To this she sighed and nodded,  
  
“I know. I just wish that sometimes I was a little bit higher up and in the loop. Now I'm going to be a bit behind and will have to play catch up,” she pouted. She could act like such a child sometimes, it was hard to imagine her as a master of toxins. She was so sweet most of the time, granted she was a sass machine once you got her going.  
  
“Darlin’ it won't be much longer. Promise ya, Gabriel has already begun making arrangements for things and taking with Jack and Angela. I got no doubt they'll be getting you in there soon,” the cowboy added with a small tip of his hat. This had her soft face light up with glee. You knew all of this was huge news for her and you were happy. Hopefully it would happen before she exploded with sheer excitement.  
  
“Careful Cora, won't want you getting all excited and drooling on the poor man when you get to meet him. Not sure that would be a good first impression - especially when coming back from the dead,” the eldest teased. His words earned him a hard glare from the young woman,  
  
“I will not drool over this mystery man! Maybe over Angela's work, but not him! I’ll have you know I'm a professional, believe it or not,” she huffed out, puffing her chest out to prove she meant her words. Her faux display of being upset cause a laugh to come from you all, making it impossible for her to hold the straight face.  
  
And with that the rest on the night was spent downing alcohol and just relaxing me sharing rumours with one another in each of your fields. Who was seeing who, who was breaking what rules, who was getting caught doing the dumbest things - anything and everything came up. Nuzzling into Jesse you enjoyed his warmth, and went out of your way to bother him with your damp hair. The evening was good and you had no idea when the lot of you all eventually dozed off.  
  
  
  
It was always the mornings after that you all seemed to wake up in a mess of bodies and random blankets across the floor. However his morning seemed to be different. You woke up in your own bed this time, the warmth next to you was far too small to be Jesse. You refused to open your eyes right away as you tried to remember the night before. You were almost 100% sure that you had fallen asleep curled up with Jesse on the couch.  
  
There was a lingering scent of his earthy cologne on the pillow next to you, so you knew he had been in bed with you but you weren't sure if Declan had been playing dad or not. With a small frown you shifted to try and listen to the other room now wondering where the two guys were.  
  
Giving up you sat up, the same black clothing you wore the night before. Looking over you saw the sleeping form of Cora all curled away from you in your blankets, closely attached to one of your pillows. You felt a sleepy smile grace your face as you saw her and you quietly got out of your bed, fixing your hair as you left your room.  
  
With your bun slightly more acceptable for not having a mirror, you peek around the corner to see Jesse stumbling with your toaster. You were so thankful for Declan getting you guys some of the small perks. Toast and butter was a hell of a lot better than some of those cafeteria meals they tried to serve you. However it was safe to say you three were the only ones here that got a microwave or toaster - aside from maybe the Commanding Officers, it wasn't like your rooms were overly big.  
  
“G’morn’ doll, nice to see you up,” the scruffy cowboy teased. To this you just grinned making your way into the tiny kitchen space you had. Coming up behind him you smiled into his serape as you wrapped your arms around his chest, his cologne somehow still strong from last night, “how’d you sleep?” He inquired resting a hand on the ones you had wrapped around his torso.  
  
“Better then I would have on the couch, funny how that seems to work out, hmm?” You pried lightly. This comment got you a low chuckle in response,  
  
“Well you see I take my ladies to bed and make sure that they are all tucked in and set for a good night's rest,” he teases you, glancing over his shoulder with that sly smirk, “besides i had to make sure you wouldn't be too grumpy this morning when I made you something to eat,”  
  
“Jesse, you can make toast? What did I do to deserve such a gourmet meal?” You giggled into his back before taking a step back. As soon as you had released him he turned and pulled you to his chest, making sure to give you a quick kiss in the process,  
  
“By gracing me with your beauty and good company,” he winked. His kind words always seemed to be a bit too good for someone like you, but you enjoyed every second of it. As the toasted dinged you stepped back so that he could finish what he started. Leaning against an opposite counter you glanced up at the sound of angry muttering, in a language you didn't really understand. Cora came in with her hair slightly messy from her nights rest,  
  
“Please tell me the cowboy made some kind of coffee, since he decided to actually stay?” She asked and edge to her voice. She never did like it when Declan skipped out on your guys nightly get togethers,  
  
“Sugar, I made some and it's ready to go. Jus’ sit down and I'll bring it over with your toast” Jesse instructed with a hearty chuckle. Grinning at how calmly he could handle the grumpy Cora you moved to join her on the couch. Everything was cleaned up, which surprised you. Normally you had to get that done once you work up.  
  
“Ah, that reminds me,” Jesse started as he poured two cups of how before bringing it all over, heading back to get the topping and sugar, “Commander Okafor wanted me to apologize on his behalf. He had an early meeting and had to take off. Sucks for me because he woke me up in his process of leaving. Also you can thank him for the mess being so clean.”  
  
“Figured it was a little to clean for you to have done it,” you retorted with a smirk playing on your lips. This got you a low groan as Cora glare at you from over her cup,  
  
“Just kiss already you too,” she scoffed before taking a long drink of her coffee, black. You were about to retort before Jesse leaned in and stole a kiss, stopping whatever comeback you had sitting on the tip of your tongue.  
  
“There,” he winked at Cora who continued to grumble before she started shoving the slightly burnt toast into her mouth. “However I gotta be leaving you ladies as well, Reyes has some work for me this morning, and it's not everyday I get to work on the Overwatch base,” he informed you both. He got a mumbled response between you and Cora and laughed before parting from your room.  
  
There was silence between the pair of you as you started to nibble on your food before her giggles started to break it,  
  
“You and Jesse are so cute,” she said in a singsong voice. Her smirk was evident as she looked at you. You couldn't stop the laugh in response,  
  
“Come now, we all know neither of us are built for anything long term. Gotta enjoy what we got,” you deflected. Your feelings for the cowboy were very complicated. You weren't sure you'd call it love, but he had really made an impression on you. But you were both aware that the next mission could be your last.  
  
“Don't be like that! He literally tucked us in and curled up next to you, the oaf woke me up when he was crawling in! You two would make a powerful couple, imagine it; the two of you-” she started. However her little daydream of you two was cut a little bit short by your datapads going off in unison. You both shared a look before picking them up to read the notification from Jack.  
  
“Looks like we can't just enjoy your boyfriends five star meal,” she pouted. You knew she was just being sassy, but you laughed and lightly poked her with your elbow,  
  
“Take your gourmet toast and go get dressed. I’m sure Commander Morrison wouldn’t be pleased if we showed up like this,” you pointed out with a lift of your brows. You watched her roll her eyes, as she got up with the attitude of a five year old. With the toast hanging from her mouth she got her shoes and coat and mumbled out a farewell before she departed. Watching her leave you worked on your own toast with a smile. God, you didn’t know what you would do without those three fools - they made life so much easier to deal with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love hearing from you and what you think of the story, I also seriously helps with my muse!  
> I love writing and planning this out, so I hope you enjoy it as well! c:


	3. Chapter 3

Were you happy? Not in the slightest. 

It was always by chance that Jack seemed to ruin anything fun you guys had, almost like the SEP gave him a fun radar and a mission to stop laughter. Anything that let him know fun was being had and that he had to stop it. 

Since you last saw Cora earlier that morning she had taken a quick shower and was now dressed in her full uniform. Her hair had since lost the braids and was done up in a perfect bun utop her head. Her skin tight suit was accented by the black shorts and top she wore under her overcoat. She was wearing a dark navy eyepiece that showed her temperature levels and, of course, her gloves. 

Declan on the other had had always been a mix of Gabriel and Jack; his short hair was not hidden by a hat as Gabriel often did. However his formal gear consisted of more casual wear. His dark black cargo pants and tight turtleneck were almost impossible to see under his coat. He stood at attention with his hands behind his back as Jack finally decided to enter. 

There was no mistaking the look Jack gave you when he saw your own outfit. It was very clear you had put in the minimum effort for this, seeing as you wanted nothing to do with it. However after reminding yourself that a mission was a mission, you found it in yourself to at least not get kicked off he mission. Your leggings and black turtleneck was all you wore, not having bothered to grab your own coat since you had instead taken the time to make sure your own hair was in a perfect bun. 

However the look on his face made it very clear there was something on the tip of Jack’s tongue, and as your eyes met you issued a silent challenge for him to say something about it. At this point you wanted to reason to sass him, and you were genuinely curious what he would say, had the cat not been holding his tongue captive. 

You and Cora sat next to each other, a few more soldiers beside the pair of you around the large table. Both of you held your postures as was trained into you; backs straight, shoulders back, chest out, and eyes on command. It was tedious but you had signed up for all of this, rather literally too. 

After what seemed like forever, Jack’s jaw tensed before he stood at the head of the table; both Declan and Gabe at his sides. He was dressed in his classic Commander outfit. Ya know the one, the one that perfectly matched his blue eyes. The one that you hated the most. 

“You all received a messages this morning to attend this mission briefing because this is a serious mission. We have called forth some of the groups best OPs because this is a mission that we can not afford to mess up. Egil Hansen; one of our foreign affairs leaders stationed in Norway, has been captured by Talon. Oydis Berg was sighted on our cameras.” He started, his face an unreadable slate, however the venom rolling off his tongue was nearly tangible. 

That name, that was what actually caught your attention. You couldn't help but lift a brow at it. Oydis - she was one of Talons top agents. She was elusive and had proven impossible to catch by means of normal squares. However your team had a run in with her a few times, and each time you got closer to taking her down. Always thanks to Cora she was slowed down and left as an easy target, but they always seemed to have the numbers to outrun you. 

“This was going to be a simple rescue mission for one of our early teams; however the sighting of Berg has improved the severity of the mission. We are to go in, find Egil, and take Oydis down; dead or alive.” He stated, his tone grave. You could actually understand him and get on the same page for once, that woman had taken down and assassinated more than a few of your members, and done some serious damage to others. You finally felt pleased to be part of this mission. Despite holding the professional air, the smile reached your eyes. However as quickly as the enjoyment sparked it faded into utter despair. 

“Commander Reyes will be taking his team in to surround and cover our parameters, they will be ambushing anyone who wanders to far from their location. Commander Declan will be leading the assassination. His team will have sights on Oydis -  My team will will assist them by luring out as many agents as they can. Cora will be assisting the two ground patrols, providing aid and gases to help lure out the targets. That leaves me and [l/n]. We will be the lead on the rescue mission. Once the coast is clear we will storm in with limited soldiers in order to be as quick as possible, and to draw less attention to us. We will get Egil out of there and to the checkpoint, there we will confirm status and round up. Everyone got it?” He explained. 

You could feel Cora shifting uncomfortably in her seat when your name was called. Because of the masks you had to wear it was impossible for her to reach out like she wanted. Your jaw clenched as your eyes started to narrow, ever so slightly to glare daggers at the Strike Commander. There was silence in the room and you were well aware of Declan and Cora’s eyes on you, as if waiting for you to say something in retaliation to the set up. Waiting to need to either defend or cool you down. 

You knew if you spoke up and said something to Ana she would move you to a squad under her or Gerard's control - but as it was you were fine. You didn't need to make a big deal about Jack's set up, at least not in front of anyone important. Aside from the tension growing in the room it remained silent. 

When no one spoke up Jack nodded in acknowledgment, “very well report to each team leader in two hours time, each has been given in depth plans - we will head out once everyone is ready.” With his statement he turned away from the table signifying that it was over. 

You didn't move right away as people started to pushed their chairs back, standing to take their leave. It was a very short and simple briefing - which also gave everyone lots of time to go get ready. You on the other hand watched as he cracked a grin as he spoke to Gabriel and you wanted so badly to fly across that table and deck him. Instead your glare was redirected to the woman beside you when her hand lightly touched your knee. 

“[y/n].. please calm down. You know nothing good comes from getting heated with that man. Besides we both know he can take ya to the ground with ease if he wanted to,” she said softly, standing with you. You didn't say much in response but roll your eyes,

“He knows damn well I don't want to be alone with him. He also knows damn well I'm not very good at rescue missions, I'm more suited for the assassinations, besides I wanted to take that damn bitch down,” you practically growled at her. You words were a hushed whisper, eyes burning. Who cares if you were being childish and petty, you deserved it after dealing with pretty boy for as long as you had. 

“Stop it! It's only one mission. Besides if you and Jack do good and get him safe fast, you can probably join in and track her down,” Cora tried. She was trying her best to be the good voice of reason that Declan always was, but since he was too busy talking about the mission with Jack and Gabriel; he couldn't exactly take over. You were being childish and you knew it, but you rolled your eyes muttering something along the lines of, ‘okay,’ before you left the room. You had a mission to mentally prepare yourself for. 

  
  
  


You had contemplated how you could get out of the mission nearly a million different ways before you had arrived. A million and one other ways to just have you changed into a different role. However none of them really came out with you alive. If you didn't kill yourself, Jack eventually did in all scenarios. 

Like most of your missions, you had gone for you black bodysuit. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was considerably better than those bulky get ups they wanted you to wear. You had grabbed one with built in protection, to avoid wearing any of the heavy stuff. However when you arrived the pointed glare from Morrison had not gone unnoticed. In your defense you had still grabbed your coat with all your badges - just to try and make him happy. However it seemed like even that was a pointless effort these days. 

Everyone had already gone out. Foot patrols geared and ready for the gases that were to be released, and the specialized bullets that Cora made. You were personally excited to see how her prototypes turned out. Even if their secret weapon didn’t work out, they were still bullets and would do the job intended.

Declan had gone in about an hour ago and the fighting was loud and clear. You had been stuck in the old building hiding it out. But since you had arrived neither of you exactly said much besides going over the basic plan in more detail. 

Had it not been for the little earpieces you wore it would have been a very awkward silence between the two of you, well more so than it already was. Jack's team was all around your hiding spot, all carefully cloaked from sight. That left the pair of you alone and your desire to leave even higher. Pulling your bottom lip in between your teeth you started to chew on it. You had been on your feet since you arrived, not used to being stationary when it came to things like this - always used to being the one always on the move. 

Apparently this was what Jack was used to, sitting on the sidelines until needed. So when you started to pace a little bit in order to keep the blood going to keep from tensing up, he lost it,

“Would you just sit down already!?” He snapped. This cause you to stop in your tracks and cast a dark glare in the Commanders direction,

“No, I need to keep moving or I won't be of any use when we actually get started,” you snapped back. It was clear that your patience was running low, you were normally so much more composed around your superiors. He had managed to push all the right buttons in such a short amount of time, your fuse was blown. 

“Well pacing around fuming will not make it better either. That's how you start irrationally thinking and get yourself - and others - killed.” He stated as he held your gaze. You felt your jaw clench as you held back the responses you wanted to spit at him. You knew getting into it with him was bad, and even worse when you were both stuck together to complete a mission. You met his gaze with intensity, the heat only growing as you held back what you really wanted to say. 

Knowing that it wasn't going to end well you scoffed before you turned away from the other, heading to a wall away from him. Leaning against it you crossed your arms over your chest and decided to watch one of the windows, as it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room. 

“If we were almost anywhere else I'd tell you to take a walk and cool down,” he muttered to himself under his breath. This cause your to reinstate the glare,

“Yes because that would really help me. You know that would only give me more time to think and plot. Stop acting like you don't know me,” you practically growled at the man. Sure with him being a dick lately it was vexing, but whenever he acted like he didn't even know who you were, that was ten times worse. You guys had trained together and been so close, yet he seemed to conveniently forget all of that these days. 

You wanted so badly to just deck him one sometimes, give him a broken nose to maybe wake him up, to jog that memory of his. However he had the rank and he could use it whenever and you weren't exactly willing to lose this job. Plus you were pretty sure that broken nose wouldn't last for very long, and then you'd be stuck dealing with a sore hand and grumpy Jack. 

You could almost physically see it, the strain he was also going through to not retort the way he wanted to. You both had been here before; you knew arguing with one another was like head butting heads with a brick wall. It wasn't going to get you anything but a headache. Finally he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head, 

“Listen [y/n], I'm sorry it's gotten this way. I'm just so used to dealing with normal soldiers that it's easy to get lost in habit. So easy to forget how hard headed you can get sometimes,” he apologizes, smirking a little at the last comment. You both looked ready to say something when your earpieces went off,

“Come in; Strike Commander, Prodigy. Egil has made it to the building next to you. Oydis has gotten sight of him and will not be far behind. We are tracking her now but it's best you guys get to him before she does.” You heard Declan report over the mic. Judging by the sounds of it, him and his team were already in motion moving out. 

“Strike Commander here, we got it. We are heading out now.” Jack reported back without missing a beat. As he responded you had already gotten you gun slung over your shoulder and clipped. He quickly adjusted his gear before the two of you took off. Now that you were finally in action it wasn't as hard to get along with him. When it came time to take action, you were both typically on the same page as one another. Then again after so many training assignments and early missions with one another, you would certainly hope that you would work well together.

As you both get outside, Jack looks at you and you both nod before splitting up. Jack was headed up the fire escapes, to get them from above; meanwhile you were sneaking through another ally, to go in the back. This way you both had your coverage to make sure the main bases were covered. 

You felt secure knowing that you had additional help if needed. The ground was being guarded by his men while additional ones came in various places to help cut off escape routes. You would not tell him that his little plan was actually pretty clever, you couldn't afford to stroke his little ego right now. 

Moving with swift movements you closed the distance to the back door. Pulling a single bobby pin from your hair you made quick work of the lock. Returning it to your hair you stepped in without missing a beat. Now enclosed in the silence of the dark building you took a breath. Now it was time to act. 

After a few breaths to switch over into the real mission mindset you were good to go. Your gun was ready if you needed it, but you would much rather go in there yourself and get them before they even knew you were there, to handle is much more like an assassin then a soldier. As you ascend the stairs you move as quietly as possible. Opening the door at the top you stepped into the hallway, slightly blinded for a moment at some of the hallways lights. 

You didn't have time to try and recover as sounds of heavy footsteps caught your attention. Ducking behind a wall you cursed, hearing the orders to find Egil. You knew right away it was Talon which meant that Oydis was also probably somewhere in the building. Gritting your teeth your hand came to rest on the blade handle at your side. You heard the order to split up and you grinned to yourself - easy kills. 

As they all split up one man went and strolled right past your hiding place. As he passed you were in step with him, the blade coming to his neck and making quick of his life. You never wore gear because they all had the same flaws, so you might as well go in knowing you had a target, rather then walking with such blind confidence. 

Laying the body on the ground to avoid any additional noise you stood, ready to go after and pick off the rest when you hear jacks voice chime in,

“Egil is secured. We are on the third floor room twelve, ascend to our location.” He ordered. You felt yourself flinch, naturally you would finally have something worthwhile to do and Jack would call mission end. Wiping he blade on the mans dark clothing you returned it to its holder. 

Glancing around you spotted the stairway sign and made your ways towards the next set of stairs. Knowing that the sneaky part was mostly over you got your gun in position, ready to fire. Now you could get noisy if you needed to, after all the patrols would be arriving soon enough to take care of the Talon agents. 

You had almost reached the doors when you heard oncoming footsteps. Drawing your gun you thankfully saw them before they saw you. Lifting the gun quickly to eye level you pulled the trigger, the shot ringing out down the halls as the Talon agent fell back. You could hear the alerts coming from somewhere else nearby and you booked it. Throwing open the door to the stairs you are sure to make good use of your training, scaling those steps in no time. 

Reaching the top you pulled the door shut behind you before booking it down the hall. As you passed each room you were sure to keep track of the numbers. Finally you spotted the last room, a large meeting room surrounded by glass, and marked with a twelve. Wasting no time you knew you needed to be with Jack to protect Egil if the Talon agents got to you before your team did. Throwing open the door both of their heads turned to face you, Jack lowering his gun when he saw it was you,

“Agent, why are you running?” He demanded,  his tone serious. Brushing it off you opened your lips to speak when you noticed a rogue agent through the glass. Not knowing who he was aiming at you close the distance with three large steps, knowing better than to risk it. The rest was almost like it was in slow motion, the agent hadn't accounted for you being there. You heard it all before you felt any of it. The sound of glass shattering behind you, the loud bang of the gun going off. Then you felt it. It was a blinding burst that bloomed in the upper part of your shoulder, leaving you to stumble back a bit. 

In the moment of pain it all seemed to slow down. You heard another gunshot, but you weren't sure who had shot who. All you knew was there was blood. Raising you arm over your shoulder to feel, you hand came back crimson before your legs gave out and you landed on the ground. The blooming pain in your shoulder made it hard to notice the shattered glass around you as you landed on the ground. 

Naturally they hit where there was no protection. The suit only had a built in breast plate. It was tough to breathe, each breath was a reminder of the pain. 

“[y/n]! Are you alright?” You heard close to you. Lifting your head you were face to face with Jack and with the pain, your first reaction was to laugh at how close you both were. It felt like it was yesterday you were both training together and sneaking drinks behind your superiors backs. This only caused his face to harden before you came back to reality  and nodded, not really trusting your voice in the moment. “We need to get out of here then, my team should be arriving soon to cover us, but we can't stay here much longer. The sooner we can get you to Cora the better as well.”

Wincing you forced your brain to come back down, to ground yourself. Unknowingly you were doing this with the help of Jack’s hand. Squeezing it you realized that you had him with you and when you nodded, he helped pull you up to your feet. It was odd to have Jack being so patient with you, but you were thankful for it. Egil was no help whatsoever - typical suit, couldn't get his hands dirty but always needed his ass saved from dangerous situations. 

Now noticing the burn coming from your legs you went to look at the damage when Jacks free hand caught your face and pulled it back up to meet his gaze,

“Eyes forward agent. You will get to safety before I let you see the damage, we can't risk panic. It's not that bad, but I've watched agents crumble under worse,” he warned. His voice was tenses and strict and for once you couldn't argue with that logic. Instead you opted for grunting out an acknowledgement as Jack put an arm around you to support you. 

He was just motioning for Egil to follow when the heavy steps of boots caught your attention. However the affirmation on the headsets was enough to set you both at ease. You felt sick for a moment, realizing that the painful smell of copper was infiltrating your senses. Leaning into Jack you used your other arm to feel for you knife before looking for you gun. Noticing Egil grabbed it and handed it to you, to which you nodded a silent thank you. 

The transition from the building to the meet up place happened quick and smooth - well it didn't exactly feel that way to you. Every movement was painful and by the time you reached the location your body had become so numb to it al you were amazed you were still upright. The loss of blood was dizzying and it had taken a few sharp orders from Jack to keep from passing out. But you made it. 

Egil had gone ahead with a bulk of soldiers to reach Cora and Declan who were both there waiting when Jack got you there. They both looked worried, and you saw something else in their eyes when they looked between the two of you. However that look lasted a very short amount of time before Cora came rushing to your side, pulling you away from Jack. Declan had been with her, there to support you if you needed and you have them a weak smile, 

“Can I know my damage now, Jack wouldn't let me before,” you said with a weak laugh before the adrenaline wore off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehh delayed upload cause I wasn't super happy with it. Hopefully my muse will pick up and I'll write something im more proud of. 
> 
> Comments help fuel my muse, but I hope you enjoy!!


	4. Chapter 4

“You do realize that this is the very reason we ask you to wear proper gear when on missions,” a sharp tone snapped at you. Wasn't it enough that your legs were covered in cuts, and your upper arm was kinda on the useless side right now? Did you really deserve to be lectured like this?

Technically yes, yes you did. But you were too proud to actually admit that. 

You roll your eyes at the constant fretting Cora was putting you under, but you didn't have a chance to speak before she tugged softly at your leg, causing you to wince,

“Was that necessary!?” You snap, pouting in defeat. Since you had arrived you had been under near constant care of the healing emulators, which meant everything was healing up quickly. Unfortunately for you, that meant you still had all the aches and pains from the wounds themselves. So basically your legs felt like two massive bruises at the moment, but it was something you could easily live with the next few days - granted with a lot of complaining to whoever would listen. 

“Yes it was, actually. Someone likes to talk back and sass me when we both know I'm right,” she said in a matter of fact tone. To this you heard soft snickering around the room, the one really catching your attention was Angela. 

She was in her normal while outfit, her doctor's coat covering her slender frame. She was standing before another bed, having fought to get Declan checked for his own wounds. He had a few bruises and scrapes, but she insisted on making sure everyone was accounted for first. You noticed her and Declan mutter something between themselves and you decided to leave that one be for now. 

“Y’know doll, they are right, you should start wearing some better protection, as a safety measure, never know when you might get hit with an unlucky shot,” the southern accent chimed in. At this you did roll your eyes, a whine of protest escaping from you,

“Not you too, Jesse. C’mon, cut me some slack. It was a small gunshot, I wouldn't have even passed out had it not been for the damn glass breaking my fall, and honestly that wasn't my room of choice to hid in. I would've been fine!” You protested, the amusement on everyone's face was enough to tell you that it didn't really matter all that much; they were all just glad you made it back in one piece. 

“Seriously though, you have to promise me you'll wear more protection on the field from now on,” Cora insisted, her grip on your hand drawing your attention. At the honest sorry in her eyes you have her a defeated smile, “honestly, I was so scared when I saw Jack bringing you back - you have no idea what was going through my mind” she said softly 

“Cora, just for you. I'll start taking my own safety into account more, alright? I'm sorry I scared you like that, you know I didn't do it on purpose. We both know I'd put rubber spiders in your room or something if that was my goal,” you grinned. This was enough to break her serious mold. Glaring at you with a playful smile she punched your good shoulder for that.

As the laughs chimed in you were glad to have a lighter atmosphere in the room. You really weren't one for having people fuss over you and worry, you really didn't like it honestly. You were a grown woman who could make her own choices, and if they ended badly, well then you had no one to blame but yourself, right? After all you were just doing what you had to in order to ensure the mission was a success.

The sound of the doors to the room opened and caught everyone's attention. You looked up to see Jack and felt yourself tense up. He was surely going to give it to you, and honestly you wouldn't be surprised if he lay into you right then and there; but you were hoping he wouldn't go that far. 

“[L/N], once you're given clearance I would like for you to come to my office. We also need your report on the mission once you're up to it.” He stated, giving Declan and Angela a nod of his head in greeting. They both responded appropriately before he looked back to you. His gaze was unreadable, 

“Yes, sir” you said giving him a small nod, noticing how Cora had pressed her lips together. With that he nodded in acknowledgement before he departed from the room, leaving you all in a moment of silence. You felt yourself slowly start to relax once he was gone. 

Even though he was gone you couldn't help but feel the weight on your shoulders, there was no way that this was going to end well for you. You had already convinced yourself you were in deep trouble, yet you couldn't tell why yet. You had saved Jack and Egil, that was good right? You knew Jack wasn't exactly unreasonable, but his most recent behaviour was enough to convince you otherwise. 

“Eyes up soldier,” Declan said, his commanding voice breaking through the silence. This caught everyone's attention, all eyes falling on his smiling face, “you did well and came back to us alive - and even if he chews you out, you'll be over it in no time. You're a tough soldier, don't let this something this small get you down. You did your job and the results are what matter”

His words came easy and you smiled softly at the older man. Declan was by far one of the kindest people here on base, you couldn't have been luckier. Hell his little pep talk caused the others to smile as well. It should be illegal to have such innocent charms like that. 

“You always know just what to say, I have no idea how you do it,” you laughed, shaking your head in the process. He just laughed to that. “Anyways if our lovely Doctor gives me clearance,” you started, trailing that sentence off as you glanced at the blonde woman. It was her turn now to laugh. Declan always sounded so warm and earthy when he laughed, but there was something much more melodic to Angela’s. However somehow, with either one of them around, they always seemed to make people around them feel safe and comfortable. 

Instead of giving you a response like you expected, Angela turns her gaze to Cora. Her brow lifted expectantly at her pupil, silently asking her if it was alright. You watched the lightest hues of pink tint the tops of her cheeks before she cleared her throat,

“You are free to go. Make sure that you use a biotic emitter tonight to help with some of the healing. No stressing yourself out by doing any heavy duty, but aside from that you're good to go. The cuts are healed up, and you'll be sore for a while, but that's about all. You’re on the path for a full recovery” She said, eyes not even needing to go to the papers to regurgitate what it said. You felt pride swell in your chest for her but you simply nodded in response,

“Thanks doc,” you grinned at her before you shifted around to throw your legs over the side of the makeshift bed you were on. You could already feel it in your muscles and you mentally groaned, “well I better not waste much more time.”

You weren't in anything fancy, simply Overwatch sweatpants and a sweater. You were blessed that Cora and Jesse had gotten you something real to wear, Declan would've made it hell if he had been left in charge of all that. He was a good friend, but sometimes that came at the price of his pranks and things akin to that. 

You smiled up at Jesse as he extended a hand to you. Taking it, you let him pull you up into a standing position in his arm. His embrace was warm and his scent comforting. He also had that charm that made it easy to relax around. He gave you a reassuring smile as you pull away and you responded with a quick peck on his cheek. 

And like that you had to get going, lord knew how hot headed Jack could get when he wanted; and you were praying that wasn't the case this time around. Leaving the overly sterile smelling room you stepped out into the halls, taking a deep breath to prepare yourself before you took off towards the commanding officers offices. You never were a fan of going down there, everyone was always so serious, made you feel out of place every time. 

As you turned down the hall you noticed Commander Reyes heading in your direction. You knew this was where to find your Commanding officers, but you were hoping to just get here and leave without anyone passing you. Instead it was the world's way of flipping you the bird for so much as thinking about having some peace and quiet. You had to run into one of the more intimidating of COs. 

Jack was just Jack honestly, the fear of him came from never knowing what he was going to do next, because he could easily switch it up at the drop of a hat. Gerard was relaxed, mostly. He was a little bit on the shifty side and everything about him was unpredictable, then again he was in charge of spearheading Talon. Everything he did was with purpose and accuracy. The most scary was Ana. She was such a sweet lady? But you had unfortunately seen her upset once. Needless to say you weren’t going to be getting on her bad side anytime soon. 

Gabriel; he was a completely closed book to you. He was the former leader of  Overwatch itself, now he was in charge of the secret organization known as Blackwatch. His teams were much more, rowdy, to say the least. You didn't actually know much about Blackwatch - most people here didn't. It was a convent ops group who got their hands dirty when Overwatch wasn't able to. Jesse had been threatened by Gabriel himself, to join them. 

All you knew was whoever was looking after and leading that charge, they had to be a very good leader. Gabriel himself was all around intimidating. He was tall, well built, and always seemed to wear such a serious expression. He clearly wasn't scared of getting his hands dirty either. Not to mention he was an enhanced super soldier like Jack - which meant even at hand to hand he would still kick your ass into the ground without breaking a sweat. 

Doing everything you could to remain calm and collected, you just had to get past him, stay focused, and get to Jack to hear him chew you out. That would much better than getting on Gabriel's bad side, right? 

With you posture tall, thankful that during your inner turmoil all of your training had become default motions. You walked with the poise and confidence of a soldier who had no fear. However you glanced towards the tall man as the distance between the two of you shrunk and you would've melted. Always watching from a safe distance you never would have known to prepare yourself for those eyes. 

Holy shit. 

If Jack had the bluest eyes in all of existence, this man had the greenest. Never before had you seen such intense and beautiful eyes before, it almost took your breath away. However that small slip of your heart could've been from fear as well, honestly it was so hard to tell. 

As your eyes met, his stoic and grumpy expression flipped. His lips curled up in the corner to reveal his ivory teeth as he smirked. His eyes gleamed with a knowledge that was beyond your own and it sent a shiver down your spine. Never before had you exchanged words with this man aside from the odd formalities with briefings - and here he was smirking at you like he knew some super secret you didn't. To be fair he probably did, he probably knew many secrets you didn’t. 

Trying very hard not to let it bother you, you have him a small curt nod in greeting, never letting your steady pace falter. As he strode past you you felt a shiver trickle along your spine. Since ‘training camp’ - as you lot used to call it - you never found a CO attractive aside from Jack. However you always kept a safe distance from them, letting Declan do the taking and direct reports, after all he was best suited for the job. 

But you never expected Commander Reyes to be so charming, he was always so gruff and serious when you did see him. Nor did you know it possible to give such a grave man such stunning looks. It must be a SEP thing, it had to be if both him and Jack had this trait. It was the only logical explanation you could think of. 

By the time you were finally able to snap autopilot off and out of your thoughts, you had arrived in front of Jack's office doors. You mentally groaned, knowing you really didn't want to. Maybe you could play that you needed to keep stress levels down, maybe that would keep him from exploding at you in full force? Would he even buy that? After all he could just access your medical records, and if he found out you were lying it would probably only make it worse. 

Taking a deep breath you knocked three times before a soft mumble behind the door could be heard beckoning you in. With that you turned the handle and stepped in, letting the door shut behind you,

“Commander Morrison,” you said, the words still never sitting quiet right on your tongue, “you wanted to see me, sir?”

You stood tall, hoping he didn't notice how nervous you were about this deep down, or how much the lingering pain was causing you. 

Lifting his head from the device he was currently working on, he met your eyes, giving you a nod in confirmation, “that I did, take a seat”

If there was anything you really envied about the man - aside from how effortlessly he managed to look good - it was how well he was able to conceal his true intentions. He was surprisingly a good pick to lead this team. You didn't want to sit down, but the lingering aches in your legs was enough to give you the motivation to shuffle into a chair set up in front of his desk. 

Setting down the tablet he had been working on, he moved it aside. Resting his elbows on the desk before him his posture straightened to face you, a simple gesture that only served to heighten the nerves. 

“I'm assuming Cora patched you up pretty good? How're you feeling?” He asked, his tone was surprisingly casual. Your overthinking was hinting at possible ulterior motives. However you knew Jack was much more straightforward than that, he wouldn't take that route unless it was someone he seriously disliked, and you would like to think you weren't on his bad side. At least not that far into his bad side. 

“She did, Sir. Angela has taught her very well. Thanks to her training and the supplies on hand, there will likely only be a small scar from the gunshot wound. The rest is already healed up and gone. Light pain is present but that is normal for a few days. It's not serious enough to put me out of duty, but light duty would be ideal for a couple of days.” You explained. This wasn't your first trip to see Cora, and despite her and Declan's worries, they knew you'd still go out in the field so long as you could handle. 

You kept your face neutral as you examined Jacks face. However, despite the best efforts it was nearly impossible not to lose yourself in those seas of blue. Damn that SEP program, it should be illegal for Commanding Officers to have such beautiful and distracting eyes. 

Then, like a wall crumbling down all at once, his shoulders fell, relaxing from their normally rigid posture. His sigh was enough to make you wonder if he was just that fed up with you,

“I'm glad to hear you're otherwise well. You did a good job on that mission, I'm not pleased with your personal result however. You are a good agent and I would hate to lose you to something as stupid and silly as a stray bullet. Just remember next time, you body isn't supposed to be a shield, even more so when you refuse to wear the proper armour. Had you been wearing what you were supposed to, you would have maybe had a bruise instead of an actual hole in your body.” 

You say there for a moment blinking. That had taken such a weird turn. You expecting him to get mad, not praise you and then lecture you.  When you didn't respond right away he sighed. Shaking his head he ran his fingers through his hair and gave you a small smile,

“What I'm trying to say is keep up the good work, but make sure you are taking yourself into consideration before you go diving in front of any more bullets. We managed to get Egil out of there safe and sound, but we almost didn't get you out of there alive. Can you promise me you'll be more careful?” He asked, for the first time in a while there was an expression on his face that you hadn't seen in years. He used to get so mad at you for beating up the other soldiers, because you'd always come back with all of these bruises and cuts. 

For a moment, one singular moment, you felt your heart falter. That was something you honest to god never thought you were ever going to see again. The gap that had grown between you both made it seem like any semblance of what you two once shared was shattered. It was so weird to have those old moments shine through. It was enough to break some of your resolve, to bring a small smile to the corners of your lips,

“Yes, I promise next time I will be a little bit more careful. I can not promise I will stop, if it's critical to complete a mission I signed up for this. However I will try and be more prepared and ready in the future.” You responded softly, and apparently that was exactly what he wanted to hear. You could see the relaxed smile that sat on his cheekbones. Personally you still couldn't get over the entire exchange, the weirdest part of it was that he broke his professional demeanour. He was always so serious and uptight these days, you had almost forgotten that the man knew how to genuinely smile. 

“Good. However you are to be on light duty for a little while, don't get carried away just yet in case you manage to strain the wound. I'm sure you'll be fine, just be careful,” he added. The hints of concern in his voice, how casual this had all ended up - you had to hold your tongue to keep from slipping into old habits. Rewind a few years and you would've teased him for being so protective, especially considering back then you could square up to him and match him in a fight. However things had changed and you weren't sure how that would fly, so it was best not to risk it. 

“You know that's not easy for me to agree to, but I promise I will make an effort to ensure my recovery.” You responded, finding a way to meet him halfway. You were the type to get things done on your own, asking for help wasn't really in the picture for you, but to put minds at ease you could promise to be careful, even if it might kill you. 

The smile on his lips came easy and he nodded, “I would also like to apologize for being a little tense in the last little while. Things have been tough, and I know that isn't any excuses, it's just been very repetitive and basic. I am not used to the sit at a desk and do paperwork job, I am a soldier. Because they have been pushing me more and more I've lost sight of some of the things I shouldn't have.” He admitted, this second apology throwing you off even more than the first one did. While it was true, the last little when you have been a bit of a brat wanting things to go back to how they were, it wasn't like you weren't aware that you were another soldier and he was  _ the _ Strike Commander. He had every right to treat you like everyone else. 

“Your one of our best agents, and you should be recognized more for the hard work you put in, all of you should. Once they give up some of their pull on me, I am going to see what I can do about all of that.” He explained, his expression soft. You could have sworn this was a trap of sorts, how he was so easily breaking you down into a sense of security. If this had been Captain Amari, or Commander Reyes, maybe you would've been a bit more unsure and distrusting of their sincerity, but this was Jack. You knew him, and you knew he couldn't lie to someone's face with that much emotion. When it came to just anyone, he could lie to the end of the world, but once it became more personal, he couldn't lie his way out of a paper bag. 

“You really don't need to, but if you do manage I know all of us would be greatly appreciative of it. We like our job very much, and while we do miss the chill times we used to have together, well we are glad to see you adjusting and doing a good job,” you responded with a smile. Sure you all talked a lot of shit, but none of you could deny he was doing damn good at this job of his. There was a reason he was chosen over Reyes, but it showed in the sheer work that he put in he was dedicated to this. That was always a good sign in leadership. 

“[y/n], thank you. I really do appreciate you guys for all your work. I will work on myself to try and make your guys job a little bit easier, and hopefully we keep everything running smoothly from here on out.” He concluded, sitting back in his chair. “Also, if I ever act the way I did on that mission ever again - don't hold back, just tear into me. Sometimes I need that wake up call,” he added, a small smirk playing on his lips. At that you couldn't help but roll your eyes quickly, a relaxed smile teasing your lips. 

“Yeah okay, so long as we don't get into another heated argument that could jeopardize the mission. I'll definitely let you have it next time,” you promised, that promise you could fully back. So long as you guys didn't get carried away with it like old time you would be fine. After all, the yelling would give you away, if the sound of you two throwing each other into walls didn't. The number of time you guys ended up on the mats to just finish an argument was insane. You two bruised each other up more then any mission did. Cora never let you two hear the end of it. 

“I'll hold you to that promise,” he chuckled. “Just make sure you listen to Cora, aside from that I think that was all the important stuff I had to go over. I'll try and find some good work for you to do in the meantime,” that was a relief. At least he wasn't going to make you sit on the sides and just heal. That would be punishment in itself. Thankful for this unsuspected turn of events you give him a small laugh, 

“Well, thank you. I'll make sure to keep Cora updated and as I'll keep my duties lighter then normal, promise. However I should sneak off and try and get some quiet time before someone else corners me so that they can also lecture me, assuming we’re good?” You hinted. You were still a little bit on edge after working yourself up the entire way here. To that he chuckled and nodded,

“Go get some rest before Declan finds you and takes his turn,” he teased, nodding towards the door. Giving him a small smile you stood,

“Thank you, sir. I'll see you around” the words slipped a little too fast. You inwardly flinched hoping the slip of casualness didn't make him upset or anything. 

“See you around,” his response came. You were thankful he wasn't being super upright right now, and you headed towards the door. It took every nerve in your body not to fly to that door, rip it open and retreat to your bed to sulk. Thankfully, you were a professional. Which meant you made you walk with tall strides and let yourself out like anyone else would. This was an army, not some high school drama. You would be much more collected then that at the very least. 

Almost as soon as the door shut behind you, you let out a heavy sigh. You seriously needed to work this off. All that stressing, the emotional roller coaster, you were just beyond tired at this point, but also so anxious now. Cora should be due for some more sparring lessons, maybe she would help you burn off some of this energy? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh so I'm lowkey contemplating rewriting and working the story I have so far because the canon I had is a little off from the one they just released. 
> 
> However apologies for slow replies, between phone problems, birthday stuff, and all kind of retribution addiction - I've been a little busy. But it's coming, I promise!


	5. Chapter 5

You were never overly fond of this place. Sure it was by one far on the best places here on the base, but it was also so gross. The base was always kept very clean and sanitary, but it never got rid of that smell. The lingering odor of sweat and gym equipment. 

Which was funny because all the equipment was in another room beside the huge gym. There was plenty of places to go and train, work on speed and durability. Then there was you. 

You used the large mats here to train and spar, to just work off some energy when you got pushed a little bit too far. That or when you just needed to heavily vent some emotions off. Well you did that and you helped train Cora. She could shoot a gun, but she was much more the hide and heal. She gave everyone the weapons and technology to get in there, while she saved everyone around her from a safe distance. 

However after some guy got a little to handsy with her one day, you rightfully kicked his butt and insisted she learned how to as well. Even if she never used it, it was a really handy thing to keep in her back pocket. Besides, she could pack quite the punch when she really wanted to. You found that out be hard way, then you had to sit there listening to her apologizing while Declan was over the moon laughing over your black eye. You were much more quick on dodging her hits after that day.    


Speaking of which, you barely managed to get out of her reach as she grabbed for you, a large grin taking over your face. It had taken a little bit of convincing but she finally agreed to do some sparring, so long as you didn't overdo it. That and she knew you would just go to Jesse next, and that boy had a hard time not getting carried away sometimes. So she figured she could keep on eye on you better this way. 

“You wanted to fight, didn't you? Stop dodging!” Her voice snapped, pulling you from your train of thought. This made it hard to hide the shiteating grin you were wearing now. She wasn't a fan of fighting, but it was always so easy to get her riled up. 

“C’mon Cora, you can do better than that. Besides I can see your hits coming a mile away,” you taunted in a sing-song voice. You could visibly see the young woman tense up at your words, her brows furrowing, jaw clenching - this was the best time to fight her. The more frustrated she got, the harder and more serious she fought. So you could admit once in a while you pushed her a little more than normal, just to get a good fight in. 

You could read her, you could read her every movement well. Not only were you the one to personally teach her most of what she knew, but this was all stuff you had practiced for years. When you trained in enough martial arts it all became second hand nature to see the tells the body gave; to be able to visibly see the tension grow in their arms or legs when they were preparing to strike. 

It was easy to see who was jumpy when they fought, who was scared to hit or be hit. Practicing shooting was easy, you had some boards and targets and no fear of causing anyone else damage. Sparring with another person in front of you was a different story. A lot of people seemed to struggle with being able to physically hurt someone on their own side in front of them. 

This idea always seemed to amuse you, the notions people got on their head. Size and strength only did so much for you, you had as many strengths as you did weaknesses and if you didn't know how to counter each of them, well what good would it do you? Someone smaller is quicker then someone big, and that speed and momentum could take down the bigger person. Then again the bigger person could also very easily overpower the smaller person. 

And like that, you could see the tension grow in her shoulders as she prepared to strike. Keeping you own body relaxed granted you the ability to keep you motions quicker, more fluid, and adaptable. So when she finally released the built pressure, her fist was aimed straight for your face, you weren't worried. In quick succession you brought one hand up to block her hit before your knee came up to kick her. Careful to make sure it was your shin that collided with her stomach and not your knee, you could hear the air escape from her lungs upon impact. 

“Stop tensing up, you give away all of your strikes when you do that.  Not to mention it slows you down,” you exclaimed. This had been something you guys had been working on, however you knew that it wasn't an overnight thing. It came with practice and confidence. 

Cora stumbled back a few steps, clearly winded. However you were proud of her, she was recovering better and better each time. Instead of letting a knee hit the ground she stayed upright. You could see the fire lit in her liquid steel eyes. Good. 

One thing about Cora you admired was even when she was knocked down she never ran from a challenge. She always stood and fought her way to the end. Even now when she knew she was out matched she was ready to take you on and hold nothing back. 

You could see the gear switching in her mind as she worked through old lessons you had taught her. Standing tall she was raring to go again. 

She was quick, small and quick - a honestly terrifying combo when it came to this. Once she let her body relax she was already considerably quicker. Closing the gap her hits started to feel more like a dance, quick and lethal. Her eyes were trained on you, blocking your counterers now. 

You couldn't stop the smirk that slowly rose to your lips. If she finally had her head on the game, then you could start to fight a little bit more seriously. 

The two of you continued to spar for a bit, matching each other in speed and intensity. Once she got going you were finally starting to break a sweat. However it was all fun and games until she managed to clip you right in the shoulder. The pain that shot through you was enough to trigger a response and you grabbed the hand that hit you. Your knee connected with the back of hers and her body went toppling over into the matts. 

It was all reflexes as you pinned her under you, hearing her groan out a complaint,

“You never said we were pinning! What the fück!” She snapped, the irritation in her voice. Coming down from it you winced and slowly moved off of her, careful of your shoulder in the process,

“You hit a spot you shouldn't have and my reflexes kicked in. I'm sorry about pinning you, not sorry about rightfully kicking your ass.” You said with a breathy chuckle. Standing up yourself you extended her your good hand. Being the sneak that she is she took it and pulled you down while she stood up and took a few bounces away from you with a triumphant grin. 

The buzz of pain lingered in your shoulder as you lay there a moment. Thankfully it had been the good shoulder that collided with the ground. Lying there a moment you groaned into the matts before rolling over and glaring at the younger woman,

“Was that necessary? Did you really resort to cheating?” You questioned from where you laid. You could hear her giggles from where you were but what caught you off guard was the sharp sound of clapping. Brows furrowed in confusion you sat up and looked around before your eyes fell upon Declan and Gabriel. Blinking for a moment you quickly stood up next to Cora, both of you standing at attention. You could see the unease on Declan's face; though he knew it was for Reyes, it was something he wasn't used to you and Cora doing towards him. 

At your response, the normally stoic man couldn't even hold his facade. The tips of his lips cracked up in a smile and he simple shook his head,

“At ease soldiers - it's only me.” He commanded. The two of you visibly relax and continue to watch him. You were thankful that you had learned early when it came to hiding the expression on your face. However Cora wasn't so fortunate. Her expression held more than enough curiosity for the two of you. You were just glad that he didn't make you wait for too long before he started to speak, 

“Miss Puntasrima, I am aware that fighting isn't a strong suit of yours. It shows that you do not have Years of experience like the rest of our soldiers. However I do not expect such from you, your scientific work is amazing and is always showing positive results,” he started. You watched her eyes start to shine at his praise, even though he had mildly insulted her fighting skills you knew all she cared about was her own work. She nodded in response, the eagerness for him to continue shone in her eyes. 

“In terms of fighting you can handle your own but you show many signs of weakness. When you're tired you body relaxes and sags, to a trained eye that will be taken advantage of in seconds. Make sure you keep your body trained to stay active, alert. Even if you are ready to collapse or give in, never let your enemies see that.” He instructed, closing the gap to stand before the two of you. 

While he wasn't directly speaking to you, you were still watching him and listening closely to what he was saying. As the praise fell over Cora you couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride yourself. The praise she was getting in regards to fighting was all thanks to you. It showed that not only were you skills good enough to pass on, but that you were decent when it came down to teaching what you knew to someone else. 

While Gabriel spoke to Cora, you noticed your own eyes drift towards Declan. Surprisingly he was watching Cora with proud eyes. He looked about as proud as a father watching his little girl win an award. Honestly you were so glad he was there with you guys. You would be so lost without him. 

Turning you gaze back towards the pair you watched as he put a hand on her shoulder, his smile was uncharacteristically warm - or at least, so you thought. Cora was practically radiating with happiness at all of the praise she had received. You had been expecting it, but it still managed to take you off guard when those intense emeralds met your eyes. It was a slight moment when you could feel you breath catch in your throat while you waited to see what he could possibly say to you. 

"I'm assuming you have been the one to teach her how to fight?" He inquired, nothing malice or accusatory in his tone - just general curiosity. 

"You are correct in that assumption," you were hardly able to keep the small smile that was threatening to show down. After the praise he gave her, you wanted to be all over that; wanted to boast about how good she had become. However you were expected to remain cool, especially in front of one of your commanding officers. 

You watched as his lips pressed together as he gave a small nod, "I must admit I'm impressed. When hired on for medical or scientific research, most are unable to defend themselves at a close range. Most, if not all, know basic firearms and even then it is hardly used. Especially if you have been teaching her various things from how you fight - it'll be no time until she is even more lethal.

The only criticism I have for you, [y/n], is how you teach. I noticed that goading and taunting was one way you used to pull out her motivation. While it works for now you will have to find other ways to adjust that into something universal. Eventually it will not work on her anymore and you both will hit that wall. Find a way to teach her how to tap into that potential without taunting. It will make it all the easy to expand her knowledge and it will also make her skill set much scarier when you know she will be able to pull it out whenever she wants to." 

His demeanor had shifted ever so slightly. His arms folded over his chest as he spoke, eyes meeting your own. However no of it was condescending or rude, it was all informative information that you could actually use. It had a good point and even better facts backing it up. If you weren't mistaken I was like he was talking to someone closer to his own rank, and that was what really threw you off guard. 

"Thank you sir, I will keep that in mind next time I teach her. Today was mostly just some sparring. Next time we are more serious about it, I will make sure that what you said here will be taken into consideration. I appreciate the feedback," you said, naturally in serious mode. The calm expression he ware softened into one of amusement and he let out a heavy sigh,

"Relax, I'm technically off duty right now. Formalities are so boring, don't force yourself," he breathed. If it had been Declan, or maybe even Jack, you might have rolled your eyes at that. However unless friendly with the other party, you found it near impossible to do so. It had been something trained into you for so long, it would be weird to call them anything else. Jack and Declan, you knew on a personal level, before they climbed the ranks; Gabriel on the other hand, you had only ever known him as a commanding officer. 

Hoping he couldn't see how forced it was, you gave him a smile that was as relaxed as you could manage. Which it must have been passable enough as he gave you a smile that you would only be able to describe as friendly. 

Ugh again, something about that program definitely did something. How can a man go from intimidating to school boy charm in seconds? Like this shit had to be illegal. 

"Thank you nevertheless, the feedback is appreciate. I'm sure I could use some of this to help my teaching, and in turn I know I'll be able to better my own skills in turn. If you have any more tips of hand to hand, I'm always down to expand my skill set there," you corrected, testing out a small chuckle in the process. 

However he don't have a chance to reply before Declan 'discreetly' decided to cough to cover up him saying, 'not that she needs it'. You weren't typically one to blush, nor were you exactly on to brag about you skills either. Sure you were by far one of the best one base when I came to a little hand to hand. 

Declan as Cora on the other hand, had no problem bragging for you. You could feel the heat rising to your face, the pink lightly dusting the tops of your cheeks. Out of the corner of your eyes you could see the grin that was spreading across Cora's face. This was just mean. You let your eyes leave Gabriel in favour of Declan, letting your eyes glare icy daggers at the man who couldn't help but let out a laugh. 

"No need to be embarrassed, don't think we aren't aware of your skills. However it is reassuring to hear you’re still actively working on bettering your own skills. Better to always work to be better than letting vanity hold you back from progressing," he pointed out unable to resist joining Declan's soft laughter. 

This was the breaking point; you couldn't resist rolling your eyes as even Cora started to chuckle. "Okay as funny as it is, this can be settled on the matts and you can laugh from the ground." You lightly threatened, mostly towards your two partners. Gabriel, you knew he could win - however you'd be lying if you said you never wondered how you would fair against a super soldier. 

"I'll reserve mine for a later date, but I would like to spar with you once I have some time to do so, and once you’re cleared for it," Gabriel responded, the smirk on his face enough to boil your blood. If you could you'd take him on now, however it would have to wait until his schedule would allow it. 

"Very well, I'll make sure I'm in top condition when that day arrives." You challenged, making sure not to miss a beat. Like that there was a fire in those emerald eyes. You held his gaze as that smirk never faded, you knew this would end with you losing but by God were you going to make him work for that win. 

"I have to be on my way, unfortunately - so heal up for next time," he grinned turning to Declan who looked like he was already watching the fight of his life. The latter of the two simply rose his brows to let the other know he was okay with whatever the boss wanted. As the two turned their attentions to each other there was a soft gasp from beside you and you jumped a bit, almost forgetting that Cora was there.

God that was embarrassing, your first real conversation with Gabriel and he managed to charm you for a second. However, in your own defense it was the tantalizing promise of the fight that had really charmed you. Looking over to the other you were met with a sheepish expression, 

“Angela wants me to come in and help her with some patients. Sorry to cut our sparring short, I promise I’ll make it up to you next time!” she said quickly. Already heading over to grab her bag of stuff she came back over and looked at the Commander and dipped her head in a soft bow, “Thank you for the advice! I’ll keep it in mind for next time, Commander.”

With a smile and nod, Declan and Gabriel both give her space to head towards the door before she looked back over her shoulder at you, 

“And no working too hard! Take it easy so you can heal, or I’ll sick Angela on you!” she called, a large smile illuminating her soft features. To that you laughed and nodded, waving her off. Sometimes you were left in awe at how such a childish woman could be such a brilliant and dangerous mind. It just went to show that you should never judge books by their covers, the contents might very well be a trap.

Had it not been for Gabriel standing there, would probably would've made some kind of remark that she should be telling Jesse this information more so than you. However you weren't sure how that would fly with a commander, let alone the one who was directly in charge of Jesse. So you simply waved her off, before turning back to the boys,

"Well I should get myself cleaned up and stop holding you guys up. Till next time," you smiled to which they both nodded. Not wanting to wait around long enough for one of them to think to add something else you quickly ducked into the woman's showers. 

Leaning against the door you listened carefully as their talk started up and eventually started to fade, indicating their departure. You let put a small breath of relief at that. Had it not been bad enough that you had to sit down with Jack that morning, but that Gabriel had also wanted to chat? 

You let out a small groan, already beyond tired after the days events. Heading towards your locker in there you opened it and nabbed your data pad and sent a quick message to Jesse. If he had the time then you would love to vent a bit after all this; Lord knew you needed it.    


Tossing the device back into the locker, grabbing what you needed for a quick, boring shower, you shut the metal door and headed off to clean up.

  
  
  
  


It had taken all of thirty minutes to be cleaned, dressed and all the way on the other side of the base. Your hair was still damp, scent free and rolled up neatly atop your head. Thankfully you weren't technically supposed to be working, so you could he away with be a little under dress code. The little perks of ‘medical leave’. Even if it was only a week or so, and it was only really watching to make sure you were in top shape.

You had thrown on your own sweatpants on and a hoodie you may or may not have stolen from Jesse a few months prior. You waited a couple of moments before the door opened to a very relaxed McCree. He had forgone the normal cowboy set up, a simple white shirt and grey sweatpants were his choice. I was a wonder why he bothered with you, that boy could wow any girl on base he wanted. 

His smile was contagious as it soon found its way across your face. 

"Well hey darlin' it's always nice to see you show up here," he grinned, that southern drawl coming naturally.  Rolling your eyes playfully you shuffled in so he could close the door,

"You say that like I didn't ask first," you chuckle, feeling the rough feeling of his beard against your face as his lips connected with you cheek. It was so weird how quickly he could flip your mood, but you had gone so long without getting attached. Moments like this, the purity of it all sometimes made you wish you would allow yourself the pleasures of falling in love. However it was a vow you made after learning Jack was leaving, that it wouldn't happen. At least not until you retired and the around the clock danger was contained. 

"So you care to share with me what kind of venting you had in mind?" He teased, his hands resting tamely on your hips. He was never pushy with you or demanding, just patient and calm. He leads have you plenty of breathing space to move and think. That was something you really appreciated from him. 

"Well a little of column A and a little of column B," you responded, hints of a smirk dusting your features. Sure you said no romance, but that never stopped you from having a little fun? Besides you both enjoyed one another's company right? Beside you wanted to enjoy your moments with Jesse for a little while longer, because you had a gut feeling things might get flipped around soon. Declan knew something, and it killed you to know you had to wait to know what it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this one is a considerable decline from what my groove was.  
> Long story short, I was typing this on my phone and my phone is off to get fixed, so I'm limited with time to write. This is also probably really messy as it's been finished on an ipod touch, like 4th gen. Poor thing is still hanging in there. 
> 
> ANYWAYS!
> 
> I hope my phone will be returned soon, so I can get the ball rolling on this story again. Any and all errors are thanks to autocorrect, and once I have time to sit and edit, I will do so! So please give me some credit for the errors, and know they will be fixed soon!
> 
> Thank you for reading, any and all feedback is welcomed ♥


	6. Chapter 6

Normally after sparring with Cora you were fine. You knew her moves, knew how she thought, and she wasn’t as strong as some of the experienced fighters. However she had got you the other day, you could still feel it lingering. You had enjoyed the day off yesterday; had a good time with Jesse, worked with Cora, got an apology from Jack, had a super long bath and went to bed early. 

However that was yesterday, time moves on. This sadly meant you had to find something new to entertain yourself with for today. You managed to kill half of a morning by hanging around Cora and Declan respectively; however when you were flying through the light work they gave you, and you started to take more the they thought you should - well they both eventually kicked you out. 

You were by no means an agent who sat around doing nothing, even when you were injured. Cora had humoured the fight because she had been wound up from the scare, not to mention you knew how to get under her skin. However you had a gut feeling she wouldn’t wanna spar with you under those conditions again. At least not as long as she remembered she hit an injury. 

After sulking around for almost an hour, racking you mind for hints for something to do you eventually remembered the paperwork you would have to get done eventually - which naturally caused you to groan. 

Nobody in their right mind enjoyed paperwork, and you were probably one of the people that hated it the most. You always put it off until the last minute, but you were able to get it done well enough that no one could be bothered to get after you for it. 

Knowing no one would accept you doing work, of any kind while flagged for medical leave; you had sneaked off to your little office while everyone had gone and parted for lunch. Your office was small, hardly much of an office honestly. It was a small room, a desk in the back and a couple of chairs closer to the door. It was small and plain, but it served its purpose. Hell you even got a little standing plant to sit near the door, anything to give colour to the grey and beige room. 

You had left the lights off, not wanting people to think to check in here for you. You were wearing the black watch hoodie you had stolen from Jesse and your overwatch blue sweats. Your hair was a messy bun upon your head, and your head was resting on the desk. 

As far as anyone was concerned, you weren’t in here, and you were not in active work duty. The dress code was lost on you in most cases, this was a time you actually didn’t have to pay attention to it, and you were for sure taking advantage of that. 

There was a soft glow on your data pad as you were going over one of the reports, taking your time in writing out a rough draft for your own. Not being on to focus very well on such trivial tasks you were often zoning in and out of thought. It wasn’t until the door opened abruptly from the silence did you finally come back to reality. 

Your body jolted at the sudden noise that sliced though your tranquil silence. As your body jolted, your knee came in contact with the underside of your desk. The pain was instant, shooting through your leg and leaving a small tingling at the base of your spine. A small groan slipped out at the feeling as your lifted you eyes to see who it was. 

Naturally it was Jesse, standing all proud of himself in his damn cowboy get up. You swore, if your leg wasn’t in pain right now you would’ve gone over there and wiped that shiteating grin right off his face. 

“And what do you want?” You snapped, tone giving away just how vexed you were at the moment. All he did was chuckle in response to this, 

“C’mon doll, no need to get mad, I hadn’t meant to startle you like that,” his smooth reply came easy, a little too easy in your opinion. He always had a way with words and buttering people up, but you were smart enough not to fall for stuff like that. 

“Don’t charm your way out this one, McCree. Why are you here? Came to lecture me like the others?” You interrogated. He often took their side when it came to things like this. Everyone always fretting over you, and here you were - time and time again proving you were practically unkillable. However that never stopped them. 

“In my defense, I sent you a few messages saying I had to talk to you, and you replied to none of them. So I had to come looking for you,” he explained, his shoulders lifting in a short shrug as if it was nothing, and in his case it probably was. 

As the tingling finally started to fade from your leg you were still grumbling under your breath as you leg rubbed the leg in question. Eyes darting to the data pad you switched over to the messages to see if he was lying or not and you could only feel more upset when you found that he was in fact right. Glaring up at him you pulled your chair in and sat upright, in a mock professional way. 

“Well, Mr.McCree you have my attention. What is it you needed me for?” You inquired, the sarcasm laying in thick with your words. The amusement was so obvious on his face it burned, he simply laughed and rolled his eyes,

“Come now, no need to be upset. I had to come fetch you to let you know Ana needed you to teach some of the new recruits. Something about Liao being a lazy something something. She wasn’t pleased. But yeah in about an hour and a half is the lesson. Figured you'd like something to do while you rest up,” he explained. 

This actually caught your attention a little bit. You didn’t exactly want to work with newbies, nor did you really think that you were an exceptionally good pick to do the job either. 

“But why would she ask me? I’m sure one of the commanders would be the best picks, hell Declan is a much better pick than I.” You tried to counter, trying to see if he was pulling your leg or something. Which as funny because, even Jesse knew better then to joke around with orders for a superior. To your question the man simply shrugged,

“I don’t have the answers for ya sweetheart, I’m just the messenger. If you need more information, Ana can do a quick briefing in her office or I can let her know you want the full details sent to you.” He responded casually. The worst part of it all was that you could tell he was being truthful about the whole thing, and maybe that was what made it all the more bitter in your mouth. You didn’t like to do the training, and you really didn’t want to be one of the tough asses that taught it. 

Your shoulders heaved with the heavy sigh you let out mostly for dramatic affect. Collecting the paperwork you set it aside in a pile and glanced back to Jesse,

“Yeah that last one sounds best. I’ll clean up and head down there, just have her email me a copy of the request and I’ll read over it before we get started.” You gave in. To your surrender the man only smirked and gave you a slight tip of his hat,

“As you wish, Ma’am.”

  
  
  
  


Still highly unimpressed with all of this you had no room to argue when all of the information had been sent to you by Captain Amari herself. You had taken the whole hour and a half to mentally prepare yourself for all of this. 

You took a shower and redid the bandaging on your shoulder, mostly to remind yourself that you should be careful. After Cora smoked you the other day, you weren’t ready to potentially have a newbie do the same and send you down. The pressure there also helped keep you grounded, just enough discomfort to remind you that this was all unfortunately real. 

Hair pinned up in what was considered a professional bun you had a black turtleneck on and a pair of black leggings. Over your shoulders was your dark overwatch jacket, since this was a bit of a show. Nothing got the attention of newbies like a little bit of bling and official uniforms, but this was the best they would get from you.

However despite how much you tried to waste time to draw out needing to do this, you still managed to get there early. The training facility was so boring that you even pulled out your data pad to go over what the Captain wanted you to do again. You still hoped this was a dream you would be waking up from it soon. You’d wake up at your desk in the dark, maybe some ink on your cheek or arm. Yeah, that would be the most ideal situation here. However as you finished reading the report again, it was clear that wouldn’t be happening.

Ana was a scary woman. She had very formally and professionally called Liao out for being a lazy and unreliable shit - all without using any form of derogatory terms or actually insulting the others position of power. However she had also made it quite clear that there was a lacking in the discipline department and not nearly enough being taught to these new recruits. All of the Commanding officers were too busy to pick up the slack and the next tire was also too booked with missions and such. Thus leaving the next in line - and unfortunately you happened to be the best fit from your pool. 

This was just great. You really hoped this wasn’t going to be something they wanted you to do all the time. You were good, but not good enough to entrust the next generation of soldiers with. Besides, you weren’t really the most patient of people, nor were you a great role model, last mission being a prized example as to why.

Walking around you take a moment to inspect the room. You hadn’t been in the training facility for a long time. Since you left training, you had always gone to the main gym - not needing to be around the new kids who were still learning how to throw a real punch. You weren’t in much hurry as you strolled around, taking in what it was you would be able to use for instructing. 

You didn’t really stop your little inquiring stroll until you heard the doors opening. Not sure if it students or not you stopped to see who it was. It came as a surprise to see three very familiar men walk in. Instantly you could feel your blood boiling at the sight of Declan, Gabriel, and Jack. You couldn’t believe it after you had been told none of them were available to do this, yet all three of them were there now. 

Turning you closed the distance to the middle of the room, your arms folded over your chest in obvious disapproval. The worst part of it all was that none of them looked the least bit sorry. 

“Wow, looks like someone does know the proper dress code,” Declan grinned. You swore, had it been two normal soldiers with him and not two SEP Commanding Officers, you would’ve decked him one. Instead you just dramatically rolled your eyes at the other,

“Seriously? I know how, I just don’t like it. Besides you know I’m combat, all this extra weight holds me back on missions, I don’t like it. Too much fabric gets caught and gear is loud and limiting” you said with ease, a small shrug lifting your shoulders. 

“C’mon now, don’t take that energy out on Declan, save that for the newbies.” Gabriel chuckled. It was pure instincts as you redirected your glare in the other man's direction. However he didn’t scold you for it or get upset, instead his grin grew and you could feel the challenge spark between the two of you again. You were really looking forward to healing up so you couldn’t just let him have it. 

“My biggest question; is if none of you were able to teach them, how come you’re all here now?” You asked, the distaste strong in your words as you meet each of their gazes in turn. It was Jack who gave a small shrug of his shoulders, his calm expression making it seem like the answer was obvious,

“We each have missions to go on, we didn’t take up a job we knew we wouldn’t be able to complete it properly. However Ana informed us it was your first time training, so it doesn’t hurt for us to watch and give tips here and there. Not to mention it helps if there are more women around here kicking butt, aside from Ana.” His response didn’t make any of this any better. Your eyes narrowed slightly, your right hand slowly clenching and relaxing, anything to keep you from actually going over there and punching them. 

He must have saw the cutthroat look in your eyes, because Declan closed the space and put his arm over your shoulder. Nudging you he beamed at you,

“Think of us as last resort. I promise we’ll be quiet - you won’t even know were here!” His promise filed the gym. You looked between him and the two commanders, both looking like they seriously wanted to protest that claim but were obviously thinking better of that idea. Instead they shared a disappointed glance before nodding in agreement. It was amusing to see them both roll over like that, but also pleasing. At least Declan was very good at damage control and avoiding trouble. 

  
  


Once you all broke off you found the office with Liao’s notes for the class and you laughed. It had been a lot of talking and some scheduled sparring. Yikes. Two weeks without a proper instruction? Well Ana wanted you to whip them into shape, thankfully you had your own beginner training burned into your mind. Well your mind and your muscles, there was no way you’d forget those haunting days. 

Stepping from the office a few recruits had already trickled in. Their uniforms were just basic overwatch ones - minus any patches they had yet to earn. They were young, all young adults in the group. You had forgotten how young they accepted, how young you had been. The oldest was a tall male, probably about twenty-four if you were to guess. The youngest was a girl, who couldn’t be much older then sixteen. 

You didn’t look at the trio of thorns in your side as you stepped towards the front of the group. You had the number of students almost matching the number in the class - so anyone who was late would just have to suffer. 

As you approached the group with a hard expression and arms folded over your chest, you could see some of the less experienced ones getting nervous. The older ones were starting to get nervous as well, their eyes darting from you to the commanders. You would have liked to have knocked some sense into them; remind them who was actually going to be training them, however by some miracle you managed to hold back. 

“I’m Agent [L/N]. I’m filling in for Commander Liao for the time being. So I’ll going to start you all off with twenty five laps around the gym - you must all finish the same time so there are no stragglers. Either you all keep pace with the slowest, or you run some extra laps” You explained. The recruits looked shocked for a moment before you snapped, “we don’t have all day.” 

That was all they needed. They all formed a group and started their laps. Stepping to the side to give them the entire room you noticed the surprised expressions from your peers. All this served to do was curl the tip of your lips up. 

Next you had them running sets of burpees, various team stretches, and sit ups. It was only half of what you did when you started but it was enough for now. Judging by how dead they all looked after, you were pretty sure they never had such intensive warm ups either. 

As they were finishing up you heard Gabriel snicker. Turning your attention to the man you simply rose a brow in inquiry. Lifting his hands he shook his head to show he wasn’t trying to step on toes,

“I just think it’s funny. That, and a little bit terrifying that after all this time you’re the one to bring back the older routines,” it was the honesty in his tone that cause you to snicker a bit. You knew newer gens were being babied a bit and if you had to suffer years to get to where you were, well you were more than happy to help them see that it’s worth it. That and if you were forced to be here, then you had to take it out on someone and now wasn’t the time to call Jesse. So making some kids miserable would have to do for the time being. 

“Ana updated me on Liao and her style of training.” You retorted, not missing all of their reactions. So she wasn’t exaggerating when she made up that email for you. You never saw much Liao, but you were always hearing about her. She was a mystery to most and while most respected her, her own peers were often annoyed with the skills she wasted in being so aloof. At their collective flinch you smirked to that. 

The recruits pulled themselves together and met you back in the middle of the rooms. There was a large mat that was used when sparring and you had a couple of the students go and grab them. It was interesting to watch and see their reactions to you already. Some looked scared, others were mad. However it surprised you when most had a gleam of respect for you. Which was good news, it just meant that they weren’t going to wuss out and run off. 

“I’m going to show you some basic hand to hand moves. Shooting is good as is weaponed fighting. However if someone closes the distance and comes at you, you need to be prepared to defend yourself. If you can’t defend yourself without a weapon, then what good are you really?” You started, noticing how they had all started to catch their breaths and straighten out. It was comical how breathless they all were. You knew they had backgrounds in some regard of psychical training - but if Liao had been soft on them, it must have been a while. 

Stepping forward you gave them each a level stare before you fought the smirk from your lips,

“So would anyone care to help me demonstrate today?” You could almost tangibly see the question settling in on all of them as their expressions shifted. Some scared, others bored, even a few that looked hurt. Well even if you got nothing else done all week, at least the recruits would be on their toes for a little while. Your lips moved as you went to speak before you noticed all of their eyes darting behind you. Brows furrowed in confusion you turned to see what they could possibly be looking at. 

Sure enough as your eyes met a grin broke across his face, those baby blues meeting your stare. Jack had the audacity to rise his hand like some silly schoolboy that had all the answers. Instead of giving him the pleasure of your honest surprise, you shrugged and motioned him forward,

“Very well, Commander.” As you turned your attention back to the class you noticed a few had started to pale. You almost could have pitied them. They came in expecting Liao and they ended up being stuck with you, and to add to it now they had Jack, along with Gabriel and Declan also watching in. 

Nodding for them to all spread out and get ready they all parted so that you and Jack stood in the center of the mat now. You mentally grumble as you leave him in the center as you start to shrug your jacket off your shoulders, 

“So what I am expecting each of you to figure out today is how to take someone down. Follow ups will depend on the situation and who or what you are fighting, how well armored they are and so on. I’ll show you how to take down someone coming at you. This will work on most, but some of it will need to be adapted depending on who is charging you,” you explained, surprised you managed to keep the heavy sigh from railing your explanation. With your coat in you hand you held it out for Gabriel who only raised a brow in question before he stepped forward and took it. 

Stepping back to the mat you squared up to Jack, your expression neutral as your eyes met once again. Within those smouldering eyes was something you couldn’t read, maybe it was more like something you didn’t have the time to read. Giving him a small nod of you head it was clear he managed to understand what you wanted of him. You wondered if he picked up on what you were doing, but judging by how he moved, you were sure he didn’t recognize it yet, he was too confident. 

He threw his weight at you with clear intentions of grabbing you. Watching him, you took a step to meet him before you took another on at an angel which made him miss. You were in beat with yourself and you left knee made impact with the back of his left. Rolling you body with it you ended up behind him and your elbow hit his back, causing his weight to fall forward into the ground. Shifting to get his hands under him you moved and rested a knee on his back and grabbed on of his arms, pulling it to pin it behind his back - immobilizing him for a moment. 

With a mental count of three you let your grip on his arm loosen as you stood up, extending your arm to help him up in good sport. You had heard a few gasps at what had just happened and you had to fight the grin that wanted to spread in response. You watched him roll over and look at you with a hard expression, his eyes unreadably smouldering. There was half a second of silence that seemed to go on for ages before a grin broke out across his face and he took your hand. As you pulled him up you turned back to the recruits who were all equal parts awestruck and scared. 

Carefully this time you repeated what you had just done, breaking it down by steps. Going slower and pausing, you explained the process and where your mind had to be in order to properly focus this. You took Jack to the ground a second time, but with plenty of warning. As you finished you curtly dismissed Jack and instructed each of them start to try it going step by step. 

As you parted from the group Jack made his way back to the other two. As his eyes met with the others his expression turned hard and he shook his head,

“Don’t you even start,” he warned; but it was too late. Gabriel had already started to chuckled over how easily Jack had gone down. Declan on the other hand was snickering for a slightly different reason. That little trick had been something Jack had always struggled with and you had always kicked his butt with it, and it amused him the most because Jack hadn’t put it together what you were doing till the last second. Not only that but Jack hadn’t been holding back and you could still take him to the ground with that move with ease, even while unable to properly use the one arm. Despite it all it seemed like some things never changed after all.

“Make all the excuses you want, Jack. She kicked your ass and you totally deserved it. Personally I think you were asking for that one. I also think Ana made a great choice in asking her for help.” Gabriel noted, his eyes watching as you grumbled and fixed stances and gave points and tips to successfully execute the move between different people. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was super busy since the last update; working lots, getting ready to vacay, and phone problems. I had this chapter done for a while and the next started so I’ll have her other posted soon and the previous one edited as well. Hopefully going to get back into the flow of things again soon, thanks for the support!


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